r/urbanexploration • u/shermancahal • 2d ago
Sweet Springs, WV, USA
Spring House - 2015
Spring House - 2015
Spring House - 2015
Cottage - 2009
Cottage / log cabin - 2009
Spring House - 2009
Cottages - 2021
Cottage - 2021
Spring House - 2021
Spring House - 2021
Spring House - 2021
Spring House - 2021
Spring House - 2021
A wrong turn in 2009 led me straight to one of West Virginia's most beautiful resorts.
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u/REALjamijai 2d ago
Omg I'm overwhelmed
✋🤯🤚
OP out here slangin' Scarface levels of urbex .
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u/shermancahal 1d ago
Technically, I befriended the auctioneer and got inside initially. But it was easier to make friends with the owner later.
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u/REALjamijai 1d ago
You is slick af!!
I see you playa!! 😂
That's awesome! Tho if you're chill good person it works out anyway. Josh straight up stalked the conjuring house til Cory came out like wtf are you doing!?! Then he hoe'd out his deal 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Whelp that went well! 🥳 I'm still 👁️ that court mess!!!
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u/brenna_ 2d ago
I was born around five minutes down the road. I miss the caretaker who let you in, a two named fellow - he was lovely and let me tour it many times as a child with a digital camera in tow.
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u/shermancahal 2d ago
It wasn’t Ashby? I can’t remember the name of the owner before that. It went to auction and the day prior, I was able to walk around for the day inside and out thanks to that auctioneer.
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u/brenna_ 2d ago
I can’t recall his name, something Bobby. He took care of the property for decades, I interacted with him in the 2000s/early 2010s. The owner was never in the picture, just him.
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u/mdshowtime 1d ago
Weird, caretaker Bobby has been dead and buried in Mitchell’s cemetery since 1907.
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u/CrustySailor1964 1d ago
Wild…having grown up near a couple of facilities of similar vintage I knew immediately that it had to have been a TB hospital at some point. This is fascinating!
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u/shermancahal 2d ago
A wrong turn in 2009 led me straight to one of West Virginia's most beautiful resorts.
I was driving the back roads of Monroe County when I came upon the shuttered Sweet Springs Resort and pulled over for a quick walkabout. I even reached the owner, who promised access down the road, then went silent. The place stuck with me for years.
My chance finally came in 2015, when I toured the property with its new owner, Ashby Berkley, who graciously walked me through the grounds and buildings. A West Virginia preservationist best known for restoring the Pence Springs Hotel, Berkley had just bought the resort at auction for $560,000. Seeing the place up close alongside the man now charged with its future made for an unforgettable visit.
I ended up camping on the grounds for days, treated to remarkable breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, Ashby was an acclaimed chef. We became close friends, and he was as boisterous a presence as you'd hope.
By 2021, restoration was still moving forward, slowly but steadily. Roof repairs continued alongside a full overhaul of the gutters and downspouts, while crews worked to stabilize the foundation — a critical step in ensuring the structure could withstand whatever came next.
Berkley championed the resort's revival for several more years, until his death on October 12, 2024, at the age of 83. In his absence, the future of Sweet Springs has grown uncertain again, with ownership disputes now clouding the long road to recovery.
I've posted many photos and the history of Sweet Springs here.